I LOVE hiking. It’s finally warm enough and the snow has melted enough that I can go again!  I went on a great one today. I got up, showered, ate breakfast and just took off. That, I think, is the best part about being a full time artist. I make my own schedule. Now I’ll spend the rest of the evening finishing my painting and hopefully starting a new one.

It was amazing to see all the new growth on the trees. They’re turning green now! Just 2 weeks ago I went up the same trail and everything was brown. The ground was all muddy and sloshy and eventually I hit snow and decided to turn back. Snow is no fun to hike in without snow shoes. But today everything was green and the ground was dry and I had a great time. I am so grateful for springtime. For that matter, I’m grateful for all of the seasons because without winter I don’t think I would fully appreciate the springtime.

I am so excited for spring to come. It’s march now so warm weather is on the way and I can’t wait! I want to be able to go outside in a T-shirt and cut-offs. I want to be able to take barefoot walks and go hiking in sandals and lay out under the stars without sinking into 3 feet of snow! (: I want to be able to spend hours and hours outside working in a garden or wandering the mountains.

I drew this picture because I wanted to express a feeling of springtime and the fresh newness that comes with it. I took a few pictures of this one, the way I did with the red squirel, so that you can see some detail and have a better idea of what it looks like.